The war between Russia and Ukraine, which broke out earlier this month, has created instability in several markets, including digital marketing. In response to the Russian invasion, some tech companies decided to impose restrictions or even leave the country after the conflict began.
From social media giants to tech companies to game publishers, a growing number of companies are cutting ties with Russia.
MICROSOFT The company suspended sales of its products and services in Russia over what it called an “unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal” invasion of Ukraine. The software giant also pledged to help defend Ukraine against Russian cyberattacks. In addition, Microsoft said it would remove search results on Bing and halt all advertising deals with Russia.
APPLE Apple temporarily halted sales of its physical products in Russia and restricted the country's access to its digital services, including Apple Pay. In Ukraine, the company disabled live traffic and incident features on Apple Maps, as a “safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens.”
GOOGLE The Alphabet company banned Russian state media from displaying ads on its platforms, banned mobile apps linked to RT and Sputnik – Russian state media outlets – from its Play Store, removed publishers from Google News, and also banned them from YouTube across Europe. However, most of its services – such as Search, Maps, and YouTube – remain available. In Ukraine, the company also disabled some Google Maps features, and its search and mapping tools in the country now point to United Nations resources for refugees and asylum seekers.
META (FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND WHATSAPP) Meta announced that RT and Sputnik's Facebook pages and Instagram accounts would no longer be available in the European Union. In response, Russia's national communications regulator blocked access to Facebook in the country, as a way to combat what it called “discrimination against Russian state media.” WhatsApp continues to function normally.
TWITTER Twitter was another social network that removed RT and Sputnik accounts in Europe. Both Twitter accounts are inaccessible to the European Union's 27 member states.
TIKTOK The Chinese video app suspended new video uploads and live streams in Russia, aiming to curb “fake news.” Like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, TikTok also blocked access to RT and Sputnik in the European Union.
SNAPCHAT Snapchat halted all advertising in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, and said it would no longer accept revenue from Russian state entities. In addition, the company pledged $15 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
OTHER COMPANIES THAT SUSPENDED OPERATIONS OR LEFT RUSSIA • EA and Activision Blizzard • PayPal • Airbnb • Netflix • Spotify
Global tech companies have chosen to continue allowing Russians to download iPhone apps, browse YouTube, and send messages on WhatsApp and Telegram, but the Russian government has started limiting access to news, information, and technologies.
Although much of the tech business community is leaving Russia, these companies still have doubts about whether they should keep operating in the country.
THE BIG TECH DILEMMA Leave Russia for good or try to stay? And moreover, will this choice be made exclusively by these companies? This is the dilemma global tech powers must solve right now.
While Ukrainian leaders and the West in general are inclined to exclude Russia from digital life, companies have some issues to face on the other hand.
The fact that digital access can be used as a weapon of attack in wars shows that big digital corporations are geopolitical players, whether they like it or not.
Within this scenario, by turning against Russia, there is a risk that companies may appear to be a puppet of the West, which is not good for Russian journalists or dissidents, and could also harm these companies' relations in negotiations with other countries.
However, if they decide to keep operating in the country, they can serve as instruments of free speech, in addition to providing useful information, location, mobility, and security resources — key points in troubled times.
